Mike Genin knows how rough this past winter was on electric customers.

Even as director of the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, (IMEA) Genin saw his normally $320 monthly utility bill skyrocket to $520 during the winter. The difference wasn’t due primarily to energy costs themselves but to the harshness of the winter, he noted.

Genin, who lives in northern Illinois, spoke to the Metropolis City Council at its meeting Monday. Taking the council through a handout, he discussed electric rates and energy cost trends.

Taking the typical consumer’s use of 10,000 kilowatts a year, Genin compared rates for an IMEA-associated member, an electric co-op and a corporate provider. Out of the 50 communities and power suppliers surveyed, “Metropolis is at the low end — the second or third lowest — for the typical consumer,” he said.

He noted many issues drive the cost of electric rates — supply, demand, generating costs, fees to the customer — and changes are on the horizon, primarily the EPA’s proposed closure coal-fired plants, that will affect those prices.

“I feel Metropolis will be below the market this coming year,” he said. “Your residential rates are very competitive for the residential customer. As market prices rise in the future, your rates will look better. I encourage you to stay vigilant in keeping an eye on your system and your rates.”

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